“Last year ended in a state of flux, and we were very grateful to bring in Petra Onel on an interim basis to see us through this transition period. Over December, Satsa’s National Secretariat deliberated on the way forward and is now extremely proud to appoint Hannelie Du Toit as the association’s new Chief Operating Officer,” says Satsa National President, Gavin Courtenay.

Du Toit joined the Satsa team two years ago and has played an instrumental role in steering various important projects including open safari vehicle permitting, transformation and operating licenses. She will continue to work on these various initiatives with assistance from the rest of the SATSA team.

“Hannelie’s proven track record of over 20 years’ experience in tourism, marketing and economic development aligns well with the job at hand. She has in-depth understanding of both the industry and organisation and has worked closely with our membership. As a result, we are confident that she will be able to take the high standards we set in terms of service delivery even further,” says Satsa CEO, David Frost.

Michelle Hollis has been appointed Sales Manager for Seolo Africa, a new marketing portfolio company. Hollis previously worked at Isibindi Africa.

Albert Machaba, Regional Ranger in the north of the Nxanatseni region of the Kruger National Park, has retired.

Machaba served 20 years with SANParks as Regional Ranger for various ranger sections of the Park under Conservation Services (now referred to as Ranger Services).

“We thank him for his efforts and hard work spanning over the two decades, and through his tenure he served as a beacon by raising aspirations of his peers. We wish him well with his retirement and hope that we will still see him in his unofficial and sometimes official visits,” said Glenn Phillips, Kruger National Park Managing Executive.